The Netherlands has begun its first trial of an alleged member of Islamic State (ISIS) for crimes against the Yazidi community. Hasna A., a 33-year-old Dutch citizen, is charged with enslavement as a crime against humanity for her alleged role in the captivity of two Yazidi women. The trial is taking place at the Schiphol courthouse in Badhoevedorp.
To date, four countries, including three European nations—Germany, France, and Sweden—have begun prosecuting their citizens who joined ISIS for crimes committed in Syria and Iraq, specifically for the enslavement and abuse of Yazidi women. These trials are part of an ongoing international effort to hold ISIS members accountable for their involvement in war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
The case marks a significant milestone in international efforts to prosecute ISIS members for atrocities committed against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority. Following ISIS’s genocidal campaign after its attack on Sinjar (Şingal) in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2014, thousands of Yazidi women and children were enslaved by ISIS fighters, while men were killed. Many of those captured were subjected to sexual violence, forced marriages and human trafficking.
Hasna A., one of 12 Dutch nationals repatriated from detention camps in northern Syria in 2022, faces multiple charges, including enslavement, membership of a terrorist organisation, and endangering her child, whom she took to ISIS-controlled territory. In her testimony, she claimed to have travelled to Syria in 2015 in search of personal peace, but denies involvement in ISIS atrocities, stating that she feared for her safety and was merely following her ex-husband’s orders.
She said she had a difficult childhood, was in debt, and felt depressed, leading her to join ISIS-controlled territory. Although she acknowledged knowing about ISIS’s atrocities before leaving, she insisted she had no intention of participating in their crimes.
Yazidi witnesses in the trial have alleged that Hasna played a role in their captivity and mistreatment, which she denies, claiming that she was unaware of the full extent of their situation. The trial comes after years of lobbying by Yazidi organisations, including the Free Yazidi Foundation, for justice for the community.
Some 3,500 Yazidi women have been rescued since the liberation of ISIS-held territory, but many remain missing. The attack on Sinjar displaced more than 200,000 Yazidis, with thousands fleeing to refugee camps.
The trial also highlights a wider issue – many ISIS foreign fighters, including those from European countries, remain in detention camps run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). Despite calls from the AANES for these individuals to be repatriated and tried under international legal standards, many countries, including the Netherlands, have been slow to act.
The hearings continue this week with testimonies from Yazidi victims and further investigation into Hasna A.’s role in the ISIS network.
